Best Day Trips from Riga
Are you looking for the best day trips from Riga, Latvia?
Riga is a central location for exploring more of Latvia. While I enjoyed Riga, I actually liked the countryside of Latvia a lot better, and I think it’s definitely worth getting out of the capital for a day trip!
I recommend spending two full days in Riga, and then taking at least one day trip outside the city. However, you could easily spend up to a week basing yourself in Riga and taking day trips.
There are so many great day trips you can take around Latvia, from visiting charming small towns to impressive palaces and castle ruins to tranquil national parks to laidback Baltic Sea beaches.
For some of these day trips, you can take the train from Riga, but for many of them, I recommend getting a rental car so you have maximum flexibility in where you can go. Driving in Latvia is very relaxed (unlike some countries in Europe!) and you can easily find free parking in all of the places I’ve mentioned below.
You can use DiscoverCars to find rental cars in Latvia.
Now let’s take a look at the best day trips from Riga.
⭐ Short on time? These are the top tours and activities I recommend. If you book directly through a link on this page, I may earn a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting Stay to Wander!
Best Day Trips from Riga, Latvia:
- Small-group hiking tour from Riga in Gauja National Park
- Private tour to Cesis from Riga
- Rundale Palace, Bauska Castle, and Hill of Crosses tour
Sigulda
Sigulda is an easy day trip from Riga. This small town is located inside Gauja National Park, so there’s a lot of natural beauty all around you. One of the best things to do in Sigulda is to visit Turaida Castle.
This medieval castle is fun to explore, and there are interesting exhibits and historical reconstructions to check out, as well as lots of walking paths and a nature park on the grounds of the castle.
Another place not to miss in Sigulda is the Castle of the Livonian Order.
You can get to Sigulda by train from Riga (it takes about an hour and ten minutes) but it can be tricky to get around after that without having a car. That’s why it’s better to rent a car if you want to visit Sigulda.
It’s only a 50-minute drive from Riga, and you can easily visit more places in Sigulda this way.
Or you can book a private tour like this one if you’d prefer not to drive yourself.
Gauja National Park
Next up, Gauja National Park is one of the best day trips from Riga. As I mentioned above, the town is Sigulda is located inside the national park, so you can combine the castles of Sigulda with a visit to the national park for some hiking or other outdoor activities if you want to make a full day out of it.
Interestingly, Gauja National Park is referred to as the “Switzerland of Latvia.” You won’t find anything like the soaring peaks of the Alps here (Latvia is a pretty flat country) but it’s still very beautiful.
Once again, I recommend renting a car to visit Gauja National Park.
Or if you’d prefer not to worry about the logistics yourself, you can book this small-group hiking tour from Riga which includes transportation and a refreshing 9.3-mile hike with a local guide.
Cesis
Cesis is another great day trip from Latvia. This is a good day trip to do by train if you don’t want to get a rental car, because everything is within walking distance of the train station here. Cesis is a charming small town one hour and 30 minutes from Riga by train, or about one hour and 15 minutes if you drive.
In Cesis, you definitely have to visit Cesis Castle, one of the best-preserved medieval castles in the country. You can then walk around and explore the cute town, which is full of shops and restaurants.
Although it’s about a 20-minute walk from the center of town, I highly recommend eating lunch at Janoga. This restaurant was by far the best place I ate in Latvia (and I really enjoyed all the food I had!)
If you’d prefer a guided tour, this private tour from Riga includes transportation as well as a private guide who will show you Cesis Castle and take you on an easy hike as well as a walk through town.
Kuldiga
Kuldiga is one place I didn’t get to on my trip to Latvia, but it looks like a lovely small town!
I would definitely head here if I ever went back to Latvia. This is a day trip that requires a rental car, because there’s no practical way to get to Kuldiga by public transportation. It’s a two-hour drive from Riga.
This is the perfect place to spend a day wandering around the town, walking along the river, and visiting the Venta waterfall — which, fun fact, may not be that tall, but it is the widest waterfall in Europe. At just 6.5 feet tall but 816 feet wide, this waterfall is a popular swimming spot during the summer months.
This small-group tour is also an option for visiting Kuldiga from Riga.
Jurmala
Jurmala is one of the easiest and most popular day trips from Riga! Located on the Baltic Sea, Jurmala is the top resort town and beach destination in Latvia. You can easily get to this charming coastal town by train from Riga. The train takes just 35 minutes and they run frequently throughout the day.
I really enjoyed Jurmala. The beach itself is not comparable to somewhere like, say, the French Riviera or the Greek Isles, but it’s pretty nonetheless. You can walk for miles along the shore of the sea, and the water is very calm and shallow. The town of Jurmala is also very pleasant, with unique wooden architecture.
There’s a pedestrian-only street just a few minutes from the beach where you can find lots of restaurants.
If you’d prefer to visit with a guide, this private tour offers pickup and Riga and includes a guided sunrise hike in Kemeri National Park followed by a stop in Jurmala to visit the beach and the town.
Kemeri National Park
Kemeri National Park is another one of the best national parks in Latvia. You can easily combine a visit to Jurmala with a visit to Kemeri National Park if you want to see more than just the beach.
The national park is a 45-minute drive from Riga, or you can take the train. If you’re also visiting Jurmala, you can ride the train another 15 minutes and get off at Sloka, then take a 15-minute bus ride to the national park. You can take bus 5 or 6, but look up the schedules beforehand so you’re not stuck waiting!
This national park has a unique wetlands environment and it’s full of walking trails. Many of the trails are wooden boardwalks that run right over the wetlands, so it’s an easy and nice walk.
One thing to keep in mind when visiting Kemeri National Park, though — be sure to wear mosquito repellent! Speaking from personal experience, mosquito repellent is not something you want to forget here.
Bauska
One of my favorite day trips from Riga is Bauska. This town is about an hour south of Riga by car, and it’s home to Rundale Palace, an opulent baroque palace, and Bauska Castle, a reconstructed medieval castle.
This is a place I definitely recommend having a rental car to visit, because it’s not easy to get to Bauska by public transportation and would take you at least double the time compared to driving.
I really loved Rundale Palace and its gorgeous gardens. There are also several restaurants near the palace where you can stop for lunch. Bauska Castle is a great place to go to, and very different from the palace.
You also have the option of visiting Bauska on a tour. This small-group tour includes a visit to Rundale Palace and Bauska Castle, as well as the unique Hill of Crosses just across the border in Lithuania.
Jelgava
Finally, Jelgava is a great day trip from Riga. I did not make it to Jelgava on my trip to Latvia, but I would definitely like to check it out if I’m ever back in Latvia, mainly to visit Jelgava Palace.
It’s another 18th-century baroque palace (the largest in the Baltic states, actually!) and if it’s anything like Rundale Palace, it’s sure to be impressive. (Can you tell I really like historic palaces?)
You can also get to Jelgava more easily by public transportation compared to Bauska. It’s a 35-minute train ride from Riga to the town of Jelgava, and then it’s a 30-minute walk or a short bus ride to get to the palace. If you’re driving, it’s just a 45-minute drive from Riga to Jelgava Palace.
Best Day Trips from Riga
These are the best day trips from Riga, Latvia.
Riga is a cool city, but the real beauty of Latvia is outside the capital. I recommend taking at least a couple of day trips from Riga to discover more of the country, rather than just staying in the city.
My favorite day trips were probably Bauska and Cesis.
Have a great trip to Latvia!
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